Alternatives to Incarceration

Alternatives to Incarceration

Overview

A recent study illustrates that nearly two million juveniles are processed through juvenile courts across the United States each year. Depending on the nature of the crime, juveniles may face detention or incarceration if they are convicted. Given the fact that many courts are reluctant to incarcerate criminal offenders, judges often consider alternatives to incarceration. The driving force behind these alternatives is to save taxpayer money yet still demand offender accountability and impose sanctions for criminal behavior.

In this assignment, you will examine alternatives to incarceration for juveniles.

Preparation

Use the Internet or the Strayer University databases to research the use of sanctions other than incarceration or detention for juvenile offenders.

Instructions

Write a 2–3 page paper in which you:

• Examine the underlying historical and economic reasons behind the quest for alternatives to committing juveniles to detention centers.
• Describe three alternatives to incarceration that juvenile courts currently use. Provide examples of such alternatives in practice to support the response.

Discuss the significant societal and individual benefits of imposing sanctions or punishments that do not involve removing an offender from his or her family or community.

• Use at least three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.